Dems pen words of support for writers

The call from the Barack Obama camp to the Writers Guild of America on Monday was completely unexpected. “What can we do to help?” asked the Obama campaign worker.

So it went when the Democratic presidential hopeful inserted himself into the first day of the WGA strike against studios and networks over future earnings from new media.

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Within hours, Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) left no question about where he stood: “I stand with the writers,” his statement began.

By publicly supporting the screenwriters, Obama literally bit the hand that feeds him, since his Hollywood supporters include some of the biggest studio heads in the business, including DreamWorks’ David Geffen, Sony’s Amy Pascal, Disney’s Richard Cook, Fox’s Tom Rothman, Viacom’s Philippe Dauman and Universal’s Ron Meyer.

His timing was also showbiz perfect: Obama made a cameo appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” a mere 24 hours before the strike began.

WGA officials were overjoyed with the headline-making gift — even if unsure as to why Obama did what he did. “We don’t even have a PAC, so why he did it is still a question.

But we’re delighted,” says Jody Frisch, who shuttles between Los Angeles and Washington as the Guild’s director of policy and government affairs.

Obama, who is scheduled to appear on this Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” wouldn’t have to physically cross a picket line to do so, since he is scheduled to appear via remote from Iowa.

And, besides, Frisch said, news writers are covered by a separate WGA contract than screenwriters, so “there wouldn’t be any reason to ask candidates not to appear on the Sunday news shows.”

The union has no plans to picket outside of Los Angeles and New York, Frisch said. Pickets run Monday through Friday, she added, making it unlikely that a Sunday political news show would be picketed.

After announcing in his statement that he stood with the writers, Obama went on to explain why: “The guild’s demand is a test of whether media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives.”

Two of Obama’s Democratic rivals — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards — also released statements about the strike, but theirs weren’t as forceful.

Then again, with so much attention paid to Clinton’s immigrant driver’s license kerfuffle at last week’s debate, parsing is now par for the course.

“I support the Writers Guild’s pursuit of a fair contract that pays them for their work in all mediums,” Clinton said in her statement. “I hope the producers and writers will return to the bargaining table to work out an equitable contract that keeps our entertainment industry strong and recognizes the contributions writers make to the success of the industry.”

Edwards’ statement said, “The striking Writers Guild members are fighting an important battle to protect their creative rights. These writers deserve to be compensated fairly for their work, and I commend their courage in standing up to big media conglomerates. As someone who has walked picket lines with workers all across America and as a strong believer in collective bargaining, I hope that both sides are able to quickly reach a just settlement.”

It’s not known whether or not Edwards will join the WGA’s picket lines along with Tina Fey, Robert Patrick, Justine Bateman and Marg Helgenberger.

Just don’t count on the “Governator” to intervene any time soon. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger “has no plans at this point” to help terminate the strike, a spokesman said, but is “monitoring the issue.”

Given his past and present professions, the former movie star would seem like an ideal candidate to help broker a deal — maybe a cigar smoking session in a tent outside The Grill in Beverly Hills? — but it’s not the case…for now, at least.

“We never rule anything out,” his spokesman said, but today there are no back channel talks of any kind between the governor and the warring parties.

“The entertainment business is a very, very important industry to the state, but other options exist,” said Schwarzenegger’s press rep.

If the strike continues, expect some intervention. The economic cost of a prolonged strike to the city and state would be enormous, hitting the state harder than a glancing blow from Conan the Barbarian.

According to a report on Forbes.com yesterday, a five-month strike could cost Los Angeles nearly $8 billion, with approximately 70,000 jobs lost.